fstopandsee

A very big satellite dish. It was either for a very big job or old technology. Either way, it made for an imposing subject in front of the direct sunlight beaming down on it.

Sometimes the best subjects pop up right in your own backyard. That was the case with this praying mantis. He was just hanging out by a potted plant in the backyard waiting for me to come by with my camera.

The death of a tree is a sad thing. This particular tree met its match, like many in the area did at the time, after a few very stormy days. This park was hit hard, and some of the trees ended up with their roots in the air.

These gulls look pretty happy by Lake Tahoe. I would be too if I had this view every day!

An empty pier at night. Clear, cold and serene. In the summer this would be a very busy place, but this time of year even the water is frozen and still.

Some strong storms came through Northern California last week. Clouds like these were more common than they have been for a long time, and I appreciated the change in the weather. I took the opportunity to get some detail shots!

Have you ever seen a missing shoe on the street? I often wonder how so many people seem to lose a shoe, and not notice immediately and go back. Maybe I’m just sensitive to lost shoes, but I swear it is more common than it should be. If someone had lost a shoe, I would certainly send them here. This particular leather shoe shop came highly recommended by a friend in Mexico. We had to stop in to check it out. None of them seemed just right to me, but, if I had recently lost a shoe I would be happy to find this place!

There are many cool sights in Playa del Carmen. This establishment on a bright yellow street corner is certainly one of them! It was early so not may people were out enjoying this restaurant yet, but I’m sure the crowds were coming!

Taken from a cold and windy resting spot during a day of back country skiing. I was hiking Round Top in the Sierras with some friends, and saw this impressive view. This spot was particularly exposed and windy, but that is what made the patterns in the drifting snow so dramatic.

The Milwaukee River at night! I don’t make it back to my homeland of Wisconsin very often in the summer. On this trip I was able to spend a night in Milwaukee with some friends, and had to check out this part of downtown. It was a cool clear night, and the lights shone perfectly off of the water. I didn’t have a tripod so I had to make the best of it by using a railing and some steady hands, and everything worked out just fine!